Boosting Triboelectric Performance with In Situ Prussian Blue-Decorated MXene Nanocomposites in P(VDF-TrFE) and Nylon-11 Nanofibers for Self-Powered Photodetectors

A surface-engineered poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] film demonstrates enhanced electron affinity, which increases charge density and boosts electron-accepting capability for efficient triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, its nonconductive nature and low dielectric constant restrict overall performance. To address these limitations, this study introduces HF-etched MXene (MX) nanosheets and in situ synthesized Prussian blue (PB)-decorated MX nanocomposites (PB@MX NCs) as surface additives in electrospun P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers. This integration greatly improves the dielectric properties and charge transfer efficiency, with PB increasing the electrical conductivity of MX by 3.6 times. An optimized P(VDF-TrFE) film containing 2 wt.% PB@MX NCs, combined with electrospun nylon-11 nanofibers, delivers a high-performance TENG with an open-circuit voltage of 191 V and a short-circuit current of 31 µA—showing improvements of 362.4% and 2 380%, respectively, over pristine P(VDF-TrFE)-based TENGs. The performance gains result from the enhanced electron affinity, lower dielectric loss, and better charge accumulation. The TENGs achieve an output power density of 1.5 W m⁻² and mechanical energy conversion efficiency of 70%. Beyond energy harvesting, it powers 70 LEDs, enables tactile touch sensing, and, operates as a self-powered photodetector at zero bias for the first time. These results highlight the potential of PB@MX NC-enhanced triboelectric platforms in self-powered wearable electronics.